mini-rotation: program tsuyogari, start!
So. I should introduce myself again since it's been a while, ne? My name is Alicia; I'm 18 and a university student. You could call me a "music whore." I listen to music like I need it more than breathing. I've been into Japanese music since I was 9 or 10 (Sailor Moon, anyone?), and it will always have a special place in my heart, no matter what my ever-changing musical favorites are. I listen to everything from ballads to eurobeat and just about anything in between, although I do tend to lean on the side of the upbeat.
So, the first part in a magical introductory series, I shall give you a small taste of my musical interests. I hope you enjoy~ ♥ I'm no Pearl when it comes to describing music (thingy is my descriptor of choice) but I hope I'm okay, if sort of brief.
T.M.Revolution - Untouchable Girls [ 4:17 | 6.1MB ]
Genre: Pop
It was hard for me to choose a TMR song. I pretty much love everything Takanori Nishikawa has done from his Luis Mary days to abingdon boys school. If you aren't really familiar with him by name, you may recognize his songs "Invoke," "Meteor" or "Zips," all used in Gundam SEED. He's been around for a long time, especially in the pop world (over 10 years!). He's especially known for his "dance" moves, which include wildly flailing and uh, wildly flaling.
Untouchable Girls is from his album The Force, my personal favorite. This song is just... so 80s/early 90s. I love it. His smooth tenor with just a bit of tremble to it, usually harder and more forceful, is a little bit softer and flirtatious. It's got a very playful dance rhythm to it complete with techno beat. It even has a few breaks for those electronic keyboarding solos. I'm not even kidding.
capsule ft. copter4016882 - GO! GO! Fine Day [ 3:15 | 6.1MB ]
Genre: Picopop
Although they've delved in a new, more hardline techno style (which I still love), capsule is known for being almost the epitome of picopop. If you don't know what picopop is, it's pretty much just the Japanese form of electropop. Influenced by shibuya kei, many artists mix electronic with nova bossa, jazz, lounge and other genres. Or, it's just sugary sweet pop, candy-coated enough to rot your ears. ;D
This song is very peppy and fun. It's sort of like big band meets pop, complete with cutesy English lyrics and intermittent burst from trumpet and saxophone. If you think 60s music sped up a bit, you've got what I'm trying to explain.
They're one of my all-time favorite groups so definitely recommended!
FLOPPY - 遊星Valhalla (Yuusei Valhalla ; Wandering Star Valhalla) [ 4:12 | 4.9MB ]
Genre: Gamewave, synthpop
A side project of Sharaku of metronome and Shinjuku Gewalt's Hiromu Toda, this group is heavily inspired by gamewave, a genre derived by making 8-bit songs. Think original Nintendo or Gameboy. Synthpop is music with synthesizer as the primary instrument.
This sounds, well, like a star or planet speeding through space. It's got a hard, fast beat to it overlayed by music I could only describe as a slight bit of game music mixed with soaring, pulsating notes. Sharaku's vocals serve almost as a narrative, not interrupting the music, but flowing along with it. This is really exciting and fast-paced, and one of my favorite speeding driving songs.
m-flo ft. Alex of Clazziquai Project - Love Me After 12AM [ 4:16 | 5.1MB ]
Genre: Pop, hiphop
This was probably my favorite "m-flo loves..." songs on their newest CD, Cosmicolor. I'm pretty sure most have heard of the hiphop duo m-flo, composed of Taku Takahashi and Verbal. But unless you're into Korean music, you probably don't know Alex. He's the singer for the group Clazziquai Project, a group that sort of parallels the shibuya kei genre.
This song is just so sensual. "Watch me when the Tokyo light glow in the street / Something turns me on and makes me want to scream / Wanna hug you, rub you up and down to your feet." Yeah, you interested now? xD The lyrics are a mix of English and Korean (which I didn't actually notice until I'd already written this out, so I'm keeping it).
Alex's voice is a silky soft tenor that fits in so well with the theme of the song. I really love when he hits the high notes during the rap of the song. The actual music has a good dance beat, but is at the same time very mellow. All together, I think it's just a perfect mesh of three amazing musicians.
This song is very, very recommended~
SE7EN - STYLE [ 3:36 | 5.1MB ]
Genre: Pop, R&B
Another import from Korea! (You will probably see this a lot from me in the future, haha) He is one of the biggest R&B names in the Korean pop industry next to maybe to like, Bi/Rain. His style ranges from ballads to upbeat dance numbers.
This is one of his more pop-esque songs. It's sort of similar in feel to a Crystal Kay song, I think. He's not the strongest of singers but he's got a very sweet tenor tone, and I think his dancing totally makes up for it. But that's another story. While it doesn't have the hard dance rhythm his stuff often has, it's got a nice, upbeat tempo. And there's a really nice piano/instrumental part near the end.
machine - ∞ < Phase destruction > [ 5:28 | 5.1MB ]
Genre: Industrial, rock
Machine is the duo of Kiyoshi and Hakuei of Penicillin. The theme of their group is that they are two superhereos come from the future to teach the world how to rock. They do indeed have a very futuristic sound, a mixture of hard rock and industrial. 010 ZERO-ONE-ZERO is my absolute favorite release by them. It was just a matter of choosing which song to do.
I finally picked ∞ < Phase destruction > because I felt it showcased the mixture that is their style the best. It has a very futuristic, and almost grungy theme to it. You can hear the drums and guitar but they blend so well into the gritty synthesizer, it's like they're one instrument. The song itself just flows and pulsates, growing softer, then exploding louder. It's almost hypnotizing.
POLYSICS - Married to A Frenchman [ 3:28 | 4.1MB ]
Genre: Rock, new wave
The POLYSICS are well, pretty crazy. They're big fans of Devo and you can tell. They sing in a mixture of Japanese, Engrish, and made-up nonsense (which they call Space Language). Always high energy, they are a creative mixture of guitar and synthesizer, pop and punk.
This song is fairly punk in feel, abrasive, but in an electronic way. Hiroyuki (the vocals) doesn't sing, but yells. It's fast-paced, one of those songs you could definitely see someone headbanging and jumping around to. There is a constant, high-pitched electronic background noise that borders on almost annoying but at the same time helps to give the song it's quirky flavor.
Perfume - Computer Driving [ 4:26 | 6.5MB ]
Genre: Pop, techno
Produced by Nakata Yasutaka (member of capsule and producer of various other picopop groups), these three girls are kinda of like Hello! Project meets electronic. They're very cutesy and sugar, enchaned even further by tinkling electronic sounds.
This song is fast-paced, peppy, and horribly, horribly catchy. This is also one of my favorite driving songs~ It's got sort of a hard techno edge to it but it still retains its cutesy girl pop sound at the same time with the xylophone-esque piko-piko sounds and the girls' young voices.
metronome - Boku no tame ni boku wo yameru boku (What Can I Do For You?) [ 4:15 | 4MB ]
Genre: Rock, gamewave
I'll be upfront; many people won't like this group simply because of Sharaku, the vocalist. His voice is very strange... he likes to sing in this wannabe cutesy tone, even though the lyrics can often be scathing. They also have a theme of being a band from the future, and their lyrics and costumes tend to reflect that as well. Their sound is a very interesting mixture of gamewave/electronic and rock.
This song has a pretty hard, driving edge. The lyrics are very despondent and the music reflects that in its darker tone. The bursts of music from the electronic keyboard are like a borderline creepy mockery of carnival/circus music. But the thing is, despite that, it's actually really catchy. If you're looking for something pretty different, give this group a listen~
Merry - Tamerai Shuffle (Faltering Shuffle) [ 4:22 | 4MB ]
Genre: Eroguro
Merry is a very cool band; they've sort of mellowed out with age, but their older stuff can be considered eroguro, a shortened name for "erotic grotesque," where the band's lyrics/performances are supposed to be shocking, etc. They're not just screaming and makeup, although they do have their fair share of it, but their hard rock sound is also tempered by a blend of swing and jazz elements.
Tamerai Shuffle is one of my favorite Merry songs. It's got a super fast, syncopated swing beat to it. I could definitely someone swing dancing to it. And it is far, far too catchy. Gara's voice is interesting; it's like a deep, almost strained falsetto. It goes very well with their style of music; it's a little rough around the edges but it's got it's own kind of sensuality to it. Around mid-song, there is a totally amazing guitar solo that shows off just how talented these guys are. All in all, I think it's a really fun song~
Utada Hikaru - 海路 (Kairo ; Sea Route) [ 3:35 | 5.1MB ]
Genre: Pop, ballad
Need I even introduce her? I think pretty much everyone knows who Utada is, haha. I just wanted to add her because she was my very first Japanese singer (Automatic!).
When I first heard Kairo, it gave me shivers and I almost cried. I'm not even kidding! I've always been a huge fan of her ballads in general but this one just really touched me. The lyrics are gorgeous but abstract; they're the kind that the meaning is felt, not understood from the paper. You know?
Her voice is powerful, but at the same time soft and haunting. The violins in the background really do give the feeling of being out at sea, drifting through the waves. The whole song is just so very surreal.
If you haven't heard this yet, definitely give it a listen!
So yeah, that's me. Weeeeeird music taste, right? I still hope you enjoyed, though! I look forward to posting more in the future
So, the first part in a magical introductory series, I shall give you a small taste of my musical interests. I hope you enjoy~ ♥ I'm no Pearl when it comes to describing music (thingy is my descriptor of choice) but I hope I'm okay, if sort of brief.
T.M.Revolution - Untouchable Girls [ 4:17 | 6.1MB ]
Genre: Pop
It was hard for me to choose a TMR song. I pretty much love everything Takanori Nishikawa has done from his Luis Mary days to abingdon boys school. If you aren't really familiar with him by name, you may recognize his songs "Invoke," "Meteor" or "Zips," all used in Gundam SEED. He's been around for a long time, especially in the pop world (over 10 years!). He's especially known for his "dance" moves, which include wildly flailing and uh, wildly flaling.
Untouchable Girls is from his album The Force, my personal favorite. This song is just... so 80s/early 90s. I love it. His smooth tenor with just a bit of tremble to it, usually harder and more forceful, is a little bit softer and flirtatious. It's got a very playful dance rhythm to it complete with techno beat. It even has a few breaks for those electronic keyboarding solos. I'm not even kidding.
capsule ft. copter4016882 - GO! GO! Fine Day [ 3:15 | 6.1MB ]
Genre: Picopop
Although they've delved in a new, more hardline techno style (which I still love), capsule is known for being almost the epitome of picopop. If you don't know what picopop is, it's pretty much just the Japanese form of electropop. Influenced by shibuya kei, many artists mix electronic with nova bossa, jazz, lounge and other genres. Or, it's just sugary sweet pop, candy-coated enough to rot your ears. ;D
This song is very peppy and fun. It's sort of like big band meets pop, complete with cutesy English lyrics and intermittent burst from trumpet and saxophone. If you think 60s music sped up a bit, you've got what I'm trying to explain.
They're one of my all-time favorite groups so definitely recommended!
FLOPPY - 遊星Valhalla (Yuusei Valhalla ; Wandering Star Valhalla) [ 4:12 | 4.9MB ]
Genre: Gamewave, synthpop
A side project of Sharaku of metronome and Shinjuku Gewalt's Hiromu Toda, this group is heavily inspired by gamewave, a genre derived by making 8-bit songs. Think original Nintendo or Gameboy. Synthpop is music with synthesizer as the primary instrument.
This sounds, well, like a star or planet speeding through space. It's got a hard, fast beat to it overlayed by music I could only describe as a slight bit of game music mixed with soaring, pulsating notes. Sharaku's vocals serve almost as a narrative, not interrupting the music, but flowing along with it. This is really exciting and fast-paced, and one of my favorite speeding driving songs.
m-flo ft. Alex of Clazziquai Project - Love Me After 12AM [ 4:16 | 5.1MB ]
Genre: Pop, hiphop
This was probably my favorite "m-flo loves..." songs on their newest CD, Cosmicolor. I'm pretty sure most have heard of the hiphop duo m-flo, composed of Taku Takahashi and Verbal. But unless you're into Korean music, you probably don't know Alex. He's the singer for the group Clazziquai Project, a group that sort of parallels the shibuya kei genre.
This song is just so sensual. "Watch me when the Tokyo light glow in the street / Something turns me on and makes me want to scream / Wanna hug you, rub you up and down to your feet." Yeah, you interested now? xD The lyrics are a mix of English and Korean (which I didn't actually notice until I'd already written this out, so I'm keeping it).
Alex's voice is a silky soft tenor that fits in so well with the theme of the song. I really love when he hits the high notes during the rap of the song. The actual music has a good dance beat, but is at the same time very mellow. All together, I think it's just a perfect mesh of three amazing musicians.
This song is very, very recommended~
SE7EN - STYLE [ 3:36 | 5.1MB ]
Genre: Pop, R&B
Another import from Korea! (You will probably see this a lot from me in the future, haha) He is one of the biggest R&B names in the Korean pop industry next to maybe to like, Bi/Rain. His style ranges from ballads to upbeat dance numbers.
This is one of his more pop-esque songs. It's sort of similar in feel to a Crystal Kay song, I think. He's not the strongest of singers but he's got a very sweet tenor tone, and I think his dancing totally makes up for it. But that's another story. While it doesn't have the hard dance rhythm his stuff often has, it's got a nice, upbeat tempo. And there's a really nice piano/instrumental part near the end.
machine - ∞ < Phase destruction > [ 5:28 | 5.1MB ]
Genre: Industrial, rock
Machine is the duo of Kiyoshi and Hakuei of Penicillin. The theme of their group is that they are two superhereos come from the future to teach the world how to rock. They do indeed have a very futuristic sound, a mixture of hard rock and industrial. 010 ZERO-ONE-ZERO is my absolute favorite release by them. It was just a matter of choosing which song to do.
I finally picked ∞ < Phase destruction > because I felt it showcased the mixture that is their style the best. It has a very futuristic, and almost grungy theme to it. You can hear the drums and guitar but they blend so well into the gritty synthesizer, it's like they're one instrument. The song itself just flows and pulsates, growing softer, then exploding louder. It's almost hypnotizing.
POLYSICS - Married to A Frenchman [ 3:28 | 4.1MB ]
Genre: Rock, new wave
The POLYSICS are well, pretty crazy. They're big fans of Devo and you can tell. They sing in a mixture of Japanese, Engrish, and made-up nonsense (which they call Space Language). Always high energy, they are a creative mixture of guitar and synthesizer, pop and punk.
This song is fairly punk in feel, abrasive, but in an electronic way. Hiroyuki (the vocals) doesn't sing, but yells. It's fast-paced, one of those songs you could definitely see someone headbanging and jumping around to. There is a constant, high-pitched electronic background noise that borders on almost annoying but at the same time helps to give the song it's quirky flavor.
Perfume - Computer Driving [ 4:26 | 6.5MB ]
Genre: Pop, techno
Produced by Nakata Yasutaka (member of capsule and producer of various other picopop groups), these three girls are kinda of like Hello! Project meets electronic. They're very cutesy and sugar, enchaned even further by tinkling electronic sounds.
This song is fast-paced, peppy, and horribly, horribly catchy. This is also one of my favorite driving songs~ It's got sort of a hard techno edge to it but it still retains its cutesy girl pop sound at the same time with the xylophone-esque piko-piko sounds and the girls' young voices.
metronome - Boku no tame ni boku wo yameru boku (What Can I Do For You?) [ 4:15 | 4MB ]
Genre: Rock, gamewave
I'll be upfront; many people won't like this group simply because of Sharaku, the vocalist. His voice is very strange... he likes to sing in this wannabe cutesy tone, even though the lyrics can often be scathing. They also have a theme of being a band from the future, and their lyrics and costumes tend to reflect that as well. Their sound is a very interesting mixture of gamewave/electronic and rock.
This song has a pretty hard, driving edge. The lyrics are very despondent and the music reflects that in its darker tone. The bursts of music from the electronic keyboard are like a borderline creepy mockery of carnival/circus music. But the thing is, despite that, it's actually really catchy. If you're looking for something pretty different, give this group a listen~
Merry - Tamerai Shuffle (Faltering Shuffle) [ 4:22 | 4MB ]
Genre: Eroguro
Merry is a very cool band; they've sort of mellowed out with age, but their older stuff can be considered eroguro, a shortened name for "erotic grotesque," where the band's lyrics/performances are supposed to be shocking, etc. They're not just screaming and makeup, although they do have their fair share of it, but their hard rock sound is also tempered by a blend of swing and jazz elements.
Tamerai Shuffle is one of my favorite Merry songs. It's got a super fast, syncopated swing beat to it. I could definitely someone swing dancing to it. And it is far, far too catchy. Gara's voice is interesting; it's like a deep, almost strained falsetto. It goes very well with their style of music; it's a little rough around the edges but it's got it's own kind of sensuality to it. Around mid-song, there is a totally amazing guitar solo that shows off just how talented these guys are. All in all, I think it's a really fun song~
Utada Hikaru - 海路 (Kairo ; Sea Route) [ 3:35 | 5.1MB ]
Genre: Pop, ballad
Need I even introduce her? I think pretty much everyone knows who Utada is, haha. I just wanted to add her because she was my very first Japanese singer (Automatic!).
When I first heard Kairo, it gave me shivers and I almost cried. I'm not even kidding! I've always been a huge fan of her ballads in general but this one just really touched me. The lyrics are gorgeous but abstract; they're the kind that the meaning is felt, not understood from the paper. You know?
Her voice is powerful, but at the same time soft and haunting. The violins in the background really do give the feeling of being out at sea, drifting through the waves. The whole song is just so very surreal.
If you haven't heard this yet, definitely give it a listen!
So yeah, that's me. Weeeeeird music taste, right? I still hope you enjoyed, though! I look forward to posting more in the future